


Manufacture Date

by mlraven



Category: Dark Matter (TV)
Genre: #Yulechat Challenge, #Yulechat Challenge 2015, Five and Six are party-planning buddies, Found Family, Gen, Three only cares if there's booze, theoretically the rest of the crew is there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 00:31:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5436713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlraven/pseuds/mlraven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“She doesn’t need alcohol to have fun; that’s you,” she accused.</p>
<p>“Hey, who do you think killed my last bottle of whiskey?” Three asked, eyebrows raised. “Face it, kid. Two likes a nice, relaxing drink, and it won’t be a real birthday party without one.”</p>
<p>Five and Six plan Two a birthday party (with some interference by Three).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Manufacture Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Froggimus_Rex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Froggimus_Rex/gifts).



> First of all, thank you to [Froggimus Rex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Froggimus_Rex/) for the found family prompt! I hope you liked how it turned out.
> 
> This fic would not exist without the immense cheerleading, idea-coming-up-with-ing, and betaing support of [TLvop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TLvop). Thank you also to [drayton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drayton) for the beta and advice on how to end the fic.
> 
> Happy Yuletide to all!

“Android to Five and Six, Android to Five and Six. Meet me in the med bay, please. I have something important to discuss.” Android’s voice cut through the haze of Six’s dream and he caught the last few words as he surfaced. He rubbed a hand over his face as he sat up. Whatever it was, Five would know.

He opened his door to see Five waiting for him, looking more awake than he felt. “Hey. Do you know what Android’s up to? All I heard was something about it being important.

Five shrugged, unconcerned. “She told us to meet her in the med bay, just the two of us. She called us while everyone’s asleep, so I think she’s trying to be stealthy.”

Six chuckled, as they began the trek to the med bay. “Android is many things, but she’s not very stealthy. Remember when she rescued Two?” He shook his head ruefully at the memory. “If everyone’s supposed to be asleep, what were you doing up?”

Five rolled her eyes at him. “I was doing some experiments to see if I could make the engines go faster. I got caught up in it,” she explained as they approached the med bay.

They opened the door and joined Android in the room.

“Why did you call us, Android?” asked Five. “You know we’re always happy to hang out with you, but it’s the middle of the night.” Six nodded.

“Hello Five, Six,” Android said, nodding at them.“Two told me that she’s extrapolated that her manufacture date is approaching. She asked me not to inform anyone, but I know that you two care deeply for her, so I theorized you would want to know this information, in order to celebrate her existence. Thus I contacted you to meet when she would not easily find us, so that we may plan a celebration,” she relayed, gazing calmly at them.

“You want us to plan Two a birthday party?” Six confirmed.

“Indeed,” Android confirmed. “As you two are the crew members closest to her, I thought you would be best suited to plan the party.”

Five had already started nodding, excited. “I already have so many ideas! This is going to be great. We just need to keep Two from finding out the surprise. Android, can you help misdirect her? We’ll pick up some supplies at the next station.”

“Yes, I am happy to help in any way. Would you like me to keep this secret from the others?”

Six looked at Five. “Maybe for now,” he hedged. “The more people who know, the more likely she’ll find out. And Three has a big mouth.”

Five nodded in agreement. “At least for now. We’ll tell them when we’re ready.”

 

 

As the _Raza_ pulled away from the station’s dock, Two directed the crew to unload the goods.

“Four, put the food in the mess, and Three, please keep the new ammunition in the crate, and not in your quarters.”

Three rolled his eyes. “Aye-aye, ma’am,” he replied as he closed the crate back up to transport it to the hold.

Five and Six stood in front of two small boxes, their backs to the others as they whispered conspiratorially.

“What do you two have over there?” Two called. “If it’s the new med bay supplies, they need to be put in the cold room.”

Five whipped her head around to look at Two. “Yeah, that’s what this is… definitely medical supplies,” she said, nervously scanning Two’s face for any sign of suspicion.

Six placed a hand on Five’s shoulder. “We’ll just take these to the med bay, Two. Don’t worry about it.”

Two fixed them with a skeptical stare for a few seconds, then seemed to decide that they couldn’t be up to anything too awful. She nodded, and turned back to make sure that Three hadn’t absconded with anything while she wasn’t looking.

 

 

“So,” Three said, as he strolled into the med bay, hands in his pockets. He nodded to the boxes. “What do you really have in there?”

Five and Six exchanged a glance.

“What makes you think it’s not medical supplies?” Five asked with a hint of a challenge, placing her hand on one of the boxes as if to make sure Three wouldn’t try for it.

“Oh, no reason,” Three replied casually, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest. “Only, I know that we bought one box of supplies, and that’s two boxes.”

Five sighed. “Okay, okay. It’s going to be Two’s birthday in a few days, and we’re throwing her a surprise party. But you can’t tell _anyone_.”

An evil grin spread over Three’s face. “Oh, Two’s gonna hate this! I bet she doesn’t even want us knowing that it’s her birthday. Hey, how did _you_ find out it’s her birthday?”

“Android told us,” Five replied. “She wanted us to keep it quiet, though, so that Two doesn’t find out.” She fixed Three with a stare that seemed to imply that he was the most likely blabbermouth. Six hid a grin as he glanced down at the actual medical supplies he was unloading.

Three looked comically outraged. “I’m great at keeping secrets! And I’m sure that I have more experience with parties than you, kid, so why didn’t you ask me to help?”

“We know you can keep secrets,” Six said, stepping between them before anyone could get any ideas, “but One can’t, and he’s always following you around.”

Three rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Even more reason to need my help! I’ll be your lookout. If Pretty Boy so much as breathes near the scheming, I’ll kindly escort him to some place where he can’t hurt himself.”

Five and Six exchanged another glance.

“All right,” said Five, apparently satisfied. “We’ll let you be the lookout, but we’re the ones doing the planning, okay?”

“Sure,” Three agreed. “As long as there’s booze, I’m happy.”

 

 

That evening, Android met Five and Six to hammer out the specifics. Android considered sighing as she listened to Five and Six debate the relative merits of planned activities versus just hanging out for the third time. She was an android; she wasn’t supposed to be able to get bored, but listening to the same argument over and over could put anyone to sleep mode.

“I just think if we played a game, like Hide and Seek, it would be fun,” Five tried again.

Six wondered if Five had an ulterior motive, as she always won Hide and Seek. “You’d just go in the vents and Two would panic that someone was trying to kill you again,” he replied. “You said that she liked it when everyone hung out together on that station. Why don’t we do that again, but here?”

As they bent back over the keyboard and circled in for another round, Android closed her eyes and began to run a systems check.

Part of the way through assuring that all of the engines were running smoothly, Android detected movement in the room. She opened her eyes to watch as Three slunk into the room, stopping right behind Five and Six, who were too caught up in their argument to notice. He peered at the plan they had drafted on the console.

“Yeah, this plan doesn’t have booze; she’s not going to like it,” he noted.

Five jumped a little at the sound of his voice, and turned to glare up at him. “She doesn’t need alcohol to have fun; that’s you,” she accused.

“Hey, who do you think killed my last bottle of whiskey?” Three asked, eyebrows raised. “Face it, kid. Two likes a nice, relaxing drink, and it won’t be a real birthday party without one.”

Six stood up from the bench. “It’s fine, I bought two bottles on the last station.”

Five looked at him accusingly. “I _knew_ those boxes were too heavy for just silly hats and cake supplies! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I believe he neglected to inform you because he felt that you’d disapprove, Five,” Android interjected. “Though I, too agree that Two will appreciate the alcohol as part of the festivities.”

“Hmph,” said Five, crossing her arms over her chest. “I guess if you’re all in agreement, I can’t argue.”

“Well, you can argue, but you won’t win!” Three said cheerfully, and he ruffled her hair before rapidly exiting the room.

“What is with all of you and the treating me like a child!? I’m just as much a member of this crew as any of you!” she yelled at his back. “Honestly.”

“I don’t think of you as a child,” Six objected.

Five made a skeptical face. “Really? Why won’t you let me have a gun? Don’t you want me to be able to defend myself?”

“I just wish that you didn’t have to defend yourself!” Six burst out. “You’re not like us--we’re all killers, and you’re just a stowaway! The dangerous people coming after us won’t care who you are, they’ll shoot anyone onboard.”

“Even more reason to let me have a gun!” Five exclaimed. She deflated, and sighed. “I know you’re just looking out for me, but it’s frustrating sometimes.”

Android, who had been watching the scene from her post by the door, decided to try to redirect the conversation back to the party. “Regardless of Six’s opinion of you, Five, it sounds like you’ve decided on a relaxed atmosphere for Two’s birthday party. Might I suggest flavouring the cake with the banana chips that Four found in storage?”

 

 

“I don’t see what’s so important that I can’t finish the rations-usage calculations first,” Two objected as Five muscled her down the mess.

“You’ll see!” Five chirped in response. “Don’t worry, it’s good.” Two rolled her eyes, but decided to wait before objecting further.

Five stopped them outside the door to the mess. “Okay, just remember that you care about us, even when we do things that you might not like.”

Two looked at her suspiciously. “I’m not sure I like where this is going, Five--” she started, but before she could finish, Five punched the door mechanism and it opened to reveal the creatively-decorated mess hall; the rest of the crew, complete with party hats, standing underneath a hand-painted banner proclaiming the occasion.

“SURPRISE!” everyone except Four chorused. He was wearing a party hat and smiling though, so that was almost the same.

Two gaped at them. Three took the opportunity to strap a matching hat to her head.

“What...how did you even know it was my birthday? I didn’t find out until two weeks ago, and then I only told… _Android_.” Two glared at Android, who was standing on the edge of the clump of assembled crew. 

Android stepped towards her, and Two noticed that she was wearing a pin that declared “Two is My Captain.”

“Yes, I did tell Five and Six about your birthday, because I knew that even though you would complain, you’d enjoy an opportunity for the crew to take a break from the “daily grind,”” Android explained, making air quotes with her fingers.

Two’s face softened. “Okay, yes, I do appreciate that.” She turned to Three. “At least tell me there’s something hard to drink.”

He grinned. “Let me escort you to your refreshments table, o Birthday Captain. Try some banana rum cake; it’s the best in the galaxy.”

 

 

Later, Five and Six cleaned up the remnants of the successful party. Five hummed to herself as she swept crumbs off the table and into the recycler. Six, in the process of using his superior height to take down the sign, paused and turned to Five.

“Hey, what do you want to do for your next birthday-- Hide and Seek?” he asked.

Five looked up from her task and smiled. “I don’t know when my next birthday is, but...I think I want to spend it with all of you.”

Six’s eyes crinkled as he smiled in return. “Hey, sounds good to me.”


End file.
